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On December 12 the slasher horror film “Scream 2” is released …

On December 12, 1997 the American slasher horror film “Scream 2” was released. The movie is a sequel to the 1996 horror hit movie, “Scream,” and was directed by Wes Craven and written by Kevin Williamson. The filmed starred Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Jaimie Kennedy, Liev Schreiber, Jada Pinkett Smith, Jerry O’ Connell, Timmy Olyphant, and Lauri Metcalf.

Scream 2Dimension Films

The film takes place two years after the events of “Scream,” following Sidney Prescott (played by Neve Campbell) as she tries to move forward with her life while in college. She soon finds herself to be the target of a new Ghostface killer, being referred to as a “copycat killer,” killing victims connected to the victims of the first events that took place in “Scream.” David Arquette returns as Deputy Dewey, while Courteney Cox returns as ambitious news reporter Gale Weathers. While Sarah Michelle Gellar, Jaimie Kennedy, Liev Schreiber, and others act in supporting roles.

David Arquette and Courteney Cox as Deputy Dewey and Gale Weathers in “Scream 2”Dimension Films

“Scream 2” came about when Kevin Williamson produced a five-page outline when trying to promote his original script to “Scream.” Following the success of “Scream,” Dimension Films decided to move forward with the production of “Scream 2.” Like the first “Scream,” “Scream 2” is a mixture of violence and comedy, while somewhat mocking the cliche of sequels.

One of the main issues the film faced was the script being leaked into the internet, revealing who will die, who the killer was, and what was to occur during the movie. Because of this, parts of the script were often completed at the day of filming. Many of the stars of the movie (at the time) were starring in television shows that caused their filming to be somewhat hectic. Sarah Michelle Gellar in particular was still filming the television series “Buffy The Vampire Slayer,” and had just finished another Williamson-written film, “I Know What You Did Last Summer.” She has admitted in earlier interviews that she agreed to be part of “Scream 2” even before reading the script due to the success of “Scream.” Her character, Cici Cooper, was one of the most memorable of the sequel.

As with every “Scream” movie, the trailer for “Scream 2” starts off with a phone ringing with the Dimension Films logo appearing on the screen:

The sequel, released by Disney via their ownership of Dimension Films, was a box office and critical success. Some critics have even declared that “Scream 2” is better than “Scream,” while the film made over $170 million worldwide. The film was followed by two more sequels, 2000’s “Scream 3,” and 2011’s “Scream 4.” As of 2013, MTV is in the process of developing a “Scream” series.